Farmworkers need spiritual, educational and medical help

A former farmworker himself, Deacon Arnold Hernandez, CM, knows firsthand about the long hours, sore muscles and heat exhaustion that comes with the strenuous labor of bringing in the harvest.
Born in Del Rio, Texas, he worked as a field hand before moving to construction work, which offered higher wages.
Now as a deacon and member of the Vincentian Evangelization Team in the Diocese of Little Rock, he offers his experiences on the farm to the Hispanic farmworker ministry he developed in Warren six years ago.
“I just saw the need and that’s how I got started,” he said.
In September 2005 he compiled a booklet that not only includes an outline of his ministry in Bradley and Drew counties but also lists U.S. and Arkansas farming statistics and provides helpful resources. It is called the “Pastoral Project with Hispanic Farmworkers.”
The booklet is currently being translated into Spanish, Hernandez said.
“The reason this project was started is because most dioceses don’t have certain guidelines for farmworkers’ ministry,” Hernandez said in an interview with Arkansas Catholic. “It has to be a well integrated program.”
In addition to being a guide and educational resource, he said the booklet was also developed to include with grant requests. It is also given out to organizations, businesses, parishes and individuals who donate to the ministry.
“I’m going out soliciting from the businesses to provide funds for this ministry because we don’t have a budget in the diocese for that,” Hernandez said.
The pastoral project is sponsored by the Vincentian Evangelization Team and St. Luke Church in Warren with assistance from the Glenmary Home Missioners in collaboration with diocese. The Hispanic Ministry Office and Father Carlos Ignacio Lozada, CM, assisted Hernandez in compiling data and producing the booklet.
According to the pastoral project, the overall objective of the ministry is: “To accompany Hispanic farmworkers in the process of human and Christian growth by means of social assistance and evangelization to connect in a better possible way to St. Luke Parish.”
Hernandez, the only ordained deacon with the Congregation of the Mission, said his religious order’s specific charism is to evangelize and minister to the poor.
Therefore, the farmworkers’ ministry tends to the basic and spiritual needs of Hispanic farmworkers in southeast Arkansas. Hernandez said there is a need to minister to farmworkers in many areas of Arkansas, but a lack of volunteers and resources has kept the ministry small.
The basic needs include donating food and clothing, but also assistance with medical and dental bills and transportation and “whatever the need might be,” Hernandez said.
In Warren, $5,000 was needed in 2005 to help pay for farmworkers’ medical and dental care alone.
Hernandez said he has witnessed many abuses of Hispanic farmworkers in many states, including Arkansas. Whether the workers are in the United States legally or not, they tend to be exploited because of lack of education, poverty and an inability to read or write in English.
Abuses may include sub-standard housing, not getting paid regularly, lack of transportation or not having access to safe drinking water or adequate bathing facilities, he said.
About 30 trained parish volunteers assist Hernandez in the farmworkers’ ministry that he normally participates in weekly during the harvest season. Each Sunday and Monday from April to July he goes to Hermitage Apartments (Bradley County), the place where many of the farmworkers live during the harvest. On Sunday, Mass is celebrated. Bible study and catechetical classes are also offered either on Sundays or during the week. Bibles, rosaries and prayer booklets are also distributed regularly.
“Then Monday (I help with) whatever needs they might have. I could take them to the Social Security Office or I could take them to a doctor’s appointment,” Hernandez said.
The key to the ministry is building relationships and trust, he said, not only with the farmworkers but also with the parish and volunteers who are the backbone of the effort.
He said when choosing parish ministers, he looks not only “for people willing to help, but people that are willing to see Christ in the poor.”
“When it comes to loving service, only the broken-hearted qualify,” he said. “You’ve been there, you can relate.”

Farmworker statistics Click here

Many of the Hispanic farmworkers are Mexican-born and migrant workers, which means they are brought in just for the harvest. They live in temporary housing until the end of the season, which in typically from April to July, but sometimes through October depending on the crop.
According to the pastoral project, nearly 40 percent of migrant workers are bused in to work in a single area during the season. Only 17 percent move around to follow harvest seasons throughout the year.
By contrast, seasonal farm workers are those whose primary employment is farm work but live in the same place year-round. About 44 percent of farm workers are seasonal and the majority of these are U.S. born.
It is estimated that there are more than 16,600 migrant and seasonal farmworkers harvesting in Arkansas each year.
These workers harvest the crops that still require manual picking. These include fruits and vegetables. In Arkansas, some of these are tomatoes, grapes, apples, strawberries, blueberries, peaches and chili peppers.
The majority of farmworkers for these crops are laid off during the winter months and usually return to the same employers each spring.
Hernandez said the farms that produce the majority of the crops employ 500 to 700 workers each season. In Drew and Bradley counties, the main crop harvested by Hispanic farmworkers is tomatoes.
The pastoral project could also be helpful to anyone interested in starting their own Hispanic farmworkers’ ministry. It includes a detailed timeline for St. Luke’s ministry; a needs assessment sheet and a sacramental status sheet to gather information on the needs of farmworkers; and an evaluation sheet for volunteers to complete at the end of the season.
It also includes a list of parish volunteers, contacts for social, health care and legal services, as well as information on the Mexican Consulate’s office in Dallas and the attorney general’s office in Little Rock.
Hernandez said he recommends parishioners interested in farmworkers’ ministry contact their local agricultural county extension agent to find out if there are farmworkers in their area. The next step would be to contact their pastor for approval. Hernandez would then be available for guidance and assistance.

Many ways to support Arkansas farmworkers

The “Pastoral Project with Hispanic Farmworkers” lists the following ways to support farmworkers.
Educate yourself about farmworkers and in general agriculture and labor.
Intern or volunteer with a local agency that works with farmworkers.
Organize your own awareness campaign by arranging for speakers at religious group meetings and schools.
Support and inform others of farmworker-sponsored boycotts.
Support local food cooperatives, farmers’ markets and organic grower associations that are pro-labor.
Organize an event for National Farmworker Awareness Week in March.

Migrant farmworker statistics
According to the most recent U.S. Department of Labor National Agricultural Workers Survey (2002),
An estimated 1 to 3 million migrant farmworkers are in the U.S. every year.
Seventy-five percent were born in Mexico.
Fifty-three percent were not authorized to work in the United States.
Foreign-born workers made up 16 percent of the hired crop labor force.
Farmworkers’ average age was 33, with half younger than 31.
Seventy-nine percent were men.
Fifty-seven percent were living away from their family when interviewed.
Eighty-one percent said Spanish was their native language.
On average, the highest grade completed was seventh grade.
Forty-four percent said they could not speak English; 53 percent could not read English.
In 2001-2002, 53 percent of the crop labor force lacked work authorization, down from 55 percent in 1999-2000.
Another 25 percent in 2001-2002 were U.S. citizens, 21 percent were legal permanent residents, and 1 percent was employment-eligible on some other basis
Among citizens, 91 percent were born in the U.S. while 9 percent were naturalized.
Farmworkers were paid an average of $7.25 an hour in fiscal years 2001-2002, compared to $5.52 in 1993-1994.
Nineteen percent were paid less than $6 per hour; 27 percent were paid between $6 and $6.74; 29 percent were paid between $6.75 and $7.99; and 25 percent were paid $8 per hour or more.